Dealing with an aggressive Indian campaign to put the tournament out of the host country’s reach, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has proposed to the Asian Cricket Council a hybrid model other teams would play their matches in Pakistan, while the Indian team would play their matches in another country.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India refused to play in UAE due to concerns about hot weather and instead suggested Sri Lanka as a potential host country.
Meanwhile, Pakistan put forward Oman as an alternative option. England was also be considered as a possible venue, although it is in another continent. Talks are progressing rapidly and a final schedule is expected to be released within the next 4-5 days.
Taking a strong stance regarding the upcoming World Cup, PCB has insisted that if the Indian team does not participate in the Asia Cup, the Pakistan team will not travel to India for the World Cup.
There have been discussions about potentially withdrawing Pakistan from hosting the Asia Cup and replacing it with Sri Lanka or Bangladesh, with the hope that in two years’ time, relations between India and Pakistan may have improved, and the Asia Cup could be held in Pakistan once again.
However, in order to withdraw from hosting the Asia Cup and replacing it with Sri Lanka or Bangladesh, PCB officials strongly rejected the proposal and stated that if this were to be done, the event should be organized without Pakistan’s participation.
Despite the potential financial loss, Pakistan emphasized the importance of taking care of the sentiments of their fans rather than the monetary aspect. Additionally, the country has already earned significant revenue from the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and would not agree to a complete shift of the Asia Cup to a neutral venue.
